The Blue Star (Spanish: La estrella azul) is a 2023 Spanish-Argentine drama film directed by Javier Macipe (in his directorial debut feature) inspired by the life of Aragonese musician Mauricio Aznar which stars Pepe Lorente.
Plot
Set in the 1990s,[1] the plot follows the plight of Spanish rocker Mauricio, who leaves his band and wanders around Latin America seeking to rediscover his musical vocation. He becomes acquainted with folk genres such as the chacarera in Santiago del Estero, and teams up with old musician Don Carlos [es].[2][3][4]
The project was born as a commission from Mauricio Aznar's mother to Javier Macipe 18 years before the theatrical release of the film.[7] The film is a Spanish-Argentine co-production by MOD Producciones, El Pez Amarillo and Cimarrón, alongside La Charito Films and Prisma.[4] Filming began in 2020 in Zaragoza.[8] It was interrupted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] It resumed in Argentina in late 2022, shooting in locations such as Santiago del Estero.[8]
Cinetren handled distribution in Argentina.[13] The theatrical release in Argentina and Uruguay was set for 12 September 2024.[14]
Reception
Philipp Engel of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars deeming it to be "pure cinephile craftmanship, the emotion about a finely done work" in the verdict, while writing that the film has "a universal reach, infinitely broader than the band's fan club".[15]
Alberto Olmos of El Confidencial rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be "a very beautiful film, of good people, of sacred sadness" and "the best cinema possible".[16]
Paula Arantzazu Ruiz [es] of Ara rated the film 4 out of 5 stars writing that "everything is diaphanous and poetic at the same time" in the film, while the biographical account "is imbued with a truly authentic emotion".[17]
Alejandro Lingenti of La Nación rated the film 4 out of 5 stars ('very good'), writing that the fiction "intersects opportunely with the documentary to enhance the affective community that existed between the Spanish musician and his warm hosts [from Santiago del Estero]".[18]
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